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Cosmic rays are an essential part of the universe. Their origin is related to many important astrophysical processes, such as star formation, stellar evolution, supernova explosions and the state of interstellar matter in the Galaxy. Cosmic Ray Physics reviews our present knowledge of cosmic rays, describing how they are born in a wide range of cosmic processes, how they are accelerated and how they interact with matter, magnetic fields and radiation during their journey across the Galaxy. The book also describes the detection of cosmic rays, and the processes which take place, both at the top and within the Earth's atmosphere. The author also describes the very important area of the underground detection of very high energy cosmic rays and particles such as neutrinos. The book is divided into two parts, the first describing the standard model of cosmic rays and contemporary challenges, and the second part dealing with very high energy cosmic rays that cannot be detected directly in satellite and balloon experiments, and with gamma-ray and neutrino astronomy. It is in this particular aspect of the book that the greatest developments have taken place during the 5 years since the first edition was completed. Consequently, it is in the chapters cosmic ray showers, their spectrum, on high energy neutrinos, and on gamma-ray astronomy of this revised and updated 2nd edition that a considerable amount of new material has been incorporated with more minor revisions and updating taking place in the first part of the book. Students and lecturers of advanced undergraduate courses on cosmic rays and astroparticle physics as well as post graduates and researchers will continue to find this book a valuable source of learning and reference.

Physics. --- Astrophysics and Astroparticles. --- Astronomy, Observations and Techniques. --- Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences. --- Classical and Quantum Gravitation, Relativity Theory. --- Elementary Particles, Quantum Field Theory. --- Astrophysics. --- Quantum theory. --- Physique --- Astrophysique --- Théorie quantique --- Cosmic rays.

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What has prompted these remarkable developments ? Why have governments been persuaded to fund them ? What are scientists learning from astronomy's equivalent of the Human Genome Project ? This book traces the subject's history, explains why such enormous efforts are considered worthwhile, and interweaves these with a first-hand insight into the Hipparcos project, and how big science is conducted at an international level. The involvement of amateur astronomers, and the Hipparcos contributions to climate research, 'death stars' passing close to the Sun, and the search for extra-solar planets and even intelligent life itself, are some of the surprising facets of this unusual space mission

Physics. --- Astronomy, Observations and Techniques. --- Popular Science in Astronomy. --- Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences. --- Astrophysics. --- Astronomy. --- Physique --- Astrophysique --- Astronomie --- Astronomy --- Astrometry. --- Astrométrie. --- Hipparcos (satellite artificiel) --- Cartography --- History --- Cartographie --- Histoire --- Hipparcos (Artificial satellite) --- Histoire. --- History. --- Astrométrie.

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This volume provides eleven reviews by leading researchers in the fields of planetary science, aeronomy, and atmospheric science. Together they present the result of comparative studies of processes and systems aspects that control the general behaviour and structure of the upper atmospheres, ionospheres and exospheres of solar system bodies (terrestrial planets, giant planets, and their moons). Similarities and differences of the relevant physical processes, chemistry, and dynamics affecting the aeronomy of solar system bodies are reviewed and documented. Implications for the long-term evolution of atmospheres and exoplanets are examined as well. The reviews are based on significant new observations by several key scientific spacecraft at Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Titan. Like all volumes in the SSSI series, this book presents a state-of-the art review written for any researcher or graduate student who needs a thorough update on a modern topic in space science. In this case: the chemistry and physics of the upper parts of planetary atmospheres.

Atmosphere, Upper. --- Astrophysics. --- Astronomical physics --- Aeronomy --- Upper atmosphere --- Earth sciences. --- Atmospheric sciences. --- Space sciences. --- Earth Sciences. --- Atmospheric Sciences. --- Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences. --- Astronomy --- Cosmic physics --- Physics --- Atmosphere --- Atmosphere, Upper --- Upper atmosphere. --- Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics). --- Science and space --- Space research --- Cosmology --- Science --- Atmospheric sciences --- Earth sciences

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This volume presents the latest research results on solar prominences, including new developments on e.g. chirality, fine structure, magnetism, diagnostic tools and relevant solar plasma physics. In 1875 solar prominences, as seen out of the solar limb, were described by P.A. Secchi in his book Le Soleil as "gigantic pink or peach-flower coloured flames". The development of spectroscopy, coronagraphy and polarimetry brought tremendous observational advances in the twentieth century. The authors present and discuss exciting new challenges (resulting from observations made by space and ground-based telescopes in the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century) concerning the diagnostics of prominences, their formation, their life time and their eruption along with their impact in the heliosphere (including the Earth). The book starts with a general introduction of the prominence “object” with some historical background on observations and instrumentation. In the next chapter, the various forms of prominences are described with a thorough attempt of classification. Their thermodynamic (and velocity) properties are then derived with emphasis on the methods (and their limits) used. This goes from the simplest optically thin case to the heavy radiative treatment of plasmas out of local thermodynamic equilibrium. The following chapters are devoted to the magnetic field measurements and indirect derivation. A new branch of diagnostic tools, the seismology, is presented along with some MHD basics. This allows to better understand the propagation of waves, the energy and force equilibria. Both small-scale and large-scale studies and their relationship are presented. The importance of the newly discovered cavities is stressed in the context of prominence destabilization. The issues of prominence formation and eruption, their connection with flares and Coronal Mass Ejections and their impact on the Earth are addressed on the basis of the latest results. Finally, an exciting new area of research is unveiled with the newly discovered evidence of similar manifestations in the Universe and their possible impact on the habitability of exoplanets. References to the basic physics (where necessary) are provided and the proposed web sites addresses will allow the reader to load exciting movies.The book is aimed at advanced students in astrophysics, post-graduates, solar physicists and more generally astrophysicists. Amateurs will enjoy the many new images which go with the text.

Physics. --- Astrophysics and Astroparticles. --- Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences. --- Astronomy, Observations and Techniques. --- Astrophysics. --- Physique --- Astrophysique --- Astronomy & Astrophysics --- Physical Sciences & Mathematics --- Astrophysics --- Solar activity. --- Sun --- Prominences. --- Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics). --- Solar radiation --- Stellar activity --- Astronomical physics --- Astronomy --- Cosmic physics --- Physics --- Space sciences. --- Observations, Astronomical. --- Astronomy—Observations. --- Astronomical observations --- Observations, Astronomical --- Science and space --- Space research --- Cosmology --- Science

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A new and detailed picture of Mercury is emerging thanks to NASA’s MESSENGER mission that spent four years in orbit about the Sun’s innermost planet. Comprehensively illustrated by close-up images and other data, the author describes Mercury’s landscapes from a geological perspective: from sublimation hollows, to volcanic vents, to lava plains, to giant thrust faults. He considers what its giant core, internal structure and weird composition have to tell us about the formation and evolution of a planet so close to the Sun. This is of special significance in view of the discovery of so many exoplanets in similarly close orbits about their stars. Mercury generates its own magnetic field, like the Earth (but unlike Venus, Mars and the Moon), and the interplay between Mercury’s and the Sun’s magnetic field affects many processes on its surface and in the rich and diverse exosphere of neutral and charged particles surrounding the planet. There is much about Mercury that we still don’t understand. Accessible to the amateur, but also a handy state-of-the-art digest for students and researchers, the book shows how our knowledge of Mercury developed over the past century of ground-based, fly-by and orbital observations, and looks ahead at the mysteries remaining for future missions to explore.

Physics. --- Astronomy, Observations and Techniques. --- Planetology. --- Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences. --- Astrophysics. --- Physique --- Planétologie --- Astrophysique --- Astronomy & Astrophysics --- Physical Sciences & Mathematics --- Astronomy - General --- Mercury (Planet) --- Observations, Astronomical. --- Astronomy --- Space sciences. --- Observations. --- Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics). --- Astronomical physics --- Cosmic physics --- Physics --- Planetary sciences --- Planetology --- Astronomy—Observations. --- Astronomical observations --- Observations, Astronomical --- Science and space --- Space research --- Cosmology --- Science